Foundation for HIV-infected hemophiliacs before the end

Foundation for HIV-infected hemophiliacs runs out of money

04/26/2014

In the 1980s, many hemophiliacs in Germany became infected with HIV via contaminated plasma. The help for those affected came late and soon they should be on the decline. Because of the foundation for HIV-infected hemophiliacs threatens to go out of 2017 the money. Experts had not expected the victims to live that long.

Financial resources will only last until 2017
About 30 years after the so-called bleeding scandal, the financial aid for hemophilia patients is threatening with HIV infection. As the chairman of the Council of the „Humanitarian Aid for blood-infected people“, Horst Schmidbauer, the dpa news agency said in Berlin, the funds only until 2017. Therefore, an increase in funds and a new law needed. Bundestag member Bärbel Bas told dpa: „People need a signal that they will continue to receive help after 2017.“ The SPD politician is also a member of the Council of the Federal Foundation.

Despite the known AIDS risk, funds were not withdrawn from the market
The Foundation supports haemophilia patients who became infected with the HI virus in the 1980s and their relatives financially. At that time, more than 1,500 haemophilia patients, so the term for the hemophilia, infected with contaminated plasma with HIV. For Bleuter life expectancy was low until the early 1970s. But when Factor VIII supplements came on the market, they made it possible for many sufferers to lead a largely normal life, as the drug allowed the blood to clot again. In the 1980s, as AIDS progressively spread, many of the blood products derived from human blood were contaminated with the HI virus or dangerous hepatitis C viruses. At that time, the pharmaceutical industry and the health authority refused to take the drug off the market, even though the AIDS risk was known.

About two-thirds of those affected have already died
As the chairman of the German hemophilia society, Werner Kalnins, the dpa said, already more than 1,000 people have died. At present, around 400 haemophilia patients with HIV infection or AIDS as well as 200 relatives have received benefits ranging from 511 to 1534 euros per month. „For the Contergan Foundation, the federal government has provided 120 million euros after long negotiations“, so bas. „We now have to organize the debate in a similar way. "Many discussions are already taking place in the background. „The countries, the pharmaceutical industry and the Red Cross must also participate.“

Hard-hitting pharmaceutical industry
Factors such as the import of blood plasma, the pooling of factors and the reimbursement practices of some payers contributed to the blood scandal at that time. The investigation of the case came only in 1993 rolling. A committee of inquiry found in 1994 that the use of blood products „unjustifiably“ has been. The scandal has now been filmed. The director of the German TV movie „blood money“, René Heisig, who is a doctor himself, said last year: „The pharmaceutical industry has insisted that the problem be solved quickly by itself.“ Since they died, those affected could hardly hope for a positive outcome of a protracted process. „Besides, they were in the burden of proof. The pharmaceutical industry exploited the fact that it was almost impossible to name an exact date of contagion, let alone a polluter“, so Heisig.

Experts reckoned with the earlier death of all those affected
The former Federal Health Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) had dissolved the Federal Health Office (BGA) in 1994 as a result of the scandal and a year later, the Federal Foundation was launched. The federal government provided DM 100 million, 90.8 million to six pharmaceutical companies, 9.2 million to the blood transfusion services of the Red Cross and 50 million to the countries. Experts had originally expected the death of all those affected by 1999. The Federal Ministry of Health finally had to top up the funds.

Financial resources needed by 2070
However, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) funds are now needed by 2070, as there was great progress in AIDS therapy and because the children of those affected get help until they are 25 years old. According to extrapolations would need about 260 million euros, as the former SPD MP Schmidbauer said. However, the problem is even bigger. „Compensation is also needed for the victims who have hepatitis C“, so Kalnins. Of the haemophilia patients infected with HCV, about 3,000 still live and about 1,500 of them have died. But only those who are infected with HIV would receive benefits from the foundation. According to Schmidbauer, about 80 percent of HCV infections in blood patients would have been avoidable if strict guidelines had been followed when using blood products. (Ad)